Not sure my 2 cents is worth nothin but heres what i like to do. when im looking at a new property for predator sets i look at areas i would hunt. after all we are predators too. high points over a field with a little cover or anyplace an animal could ambush its prey will be likely hunting routes any edges or transitions are good spots to start in my neck of the woods. now that youve found some travel routes you need to slow down. look around for anything that stands out in its surroundings. could be a pile of brush to a big 3 prong red oak. if it catches your eye believe me the critters know its there too. good chance you can fine good sign here. now to the important part. Set your trap on the best sign. not close to it not cause its convenient for you right on the sign so that its by god unavoidable if the critter comes through the area again. thats what i like to do at least for keying in on sign but most of all dont take a lazy approach to trapping if you want to do well just like anything in life you get what you put into it and trappin aint a lazy mans sport its hard work. hope this helps ya out.

Ok, I'm looking for some guidance in an area I trap. I know coyotes are there as I've seen them and seen the sign.

I set traps in the likely locations on the one farm but have come up empty. I currently have permission in the colored (orange, green, and blue shaded) areas but can likely get permission elsewhere so look at the whole image and tell me where you think I should place sets. I really only set the green area as that's where I see the coyotes the most often, but then again, I spend the most time there.

Can anyone take just a moment and take a look at this for me?This is more or less the land I'm allowed to trap.

The oddly shaped cornfield in the middle of the screen is the bulk of the land this farmer owns.He's advised he has seen a coyote or two before, but I've not personally seen any sign.He's not run the combine through the land yet, so the corn is still standing over 7' tall.

Right now, those blue dots on the screen shot below are where I've set the bulk of my DP's and a handful of coilsprings.As of this season, I've only got (1) 'coon and (1) possum.

In the upper portion of the screen shot, his property line does extend to a part of those woods with a small creek bed running through it. Should I be moving a couple of coilspring traps near the creek bed? See any other promising locations?I'm still a newbie but I'm enjoying the learning experience!

Very great information. The only thing that I can add for you beginers is to get out when you have a lite snow on the ground this will give you a good idea of the areas that the coyote and fox are traveling and show you the travel routes and pinch points. After you learn these locations you can go into all most any farm and pick these locations out. been doing this for over 40 years. Don't trap as much any more but caught 41 yotes this last season in two weeks. Ya got to love it or you will never do it

New to the k-9, world but like Dirtholetom stated above, I was told to set on sign. This year I finally got what it meant after having Mark June explain what setting on sign means. Season started slow, but every time I found scat or tracks a set went in. By end of season I could look at the lay of the land, drive to where I expected to find sign, set it and expect a 10% catch rate on my 20 trap hobby line. Guess what I'm saying is, if your learning and the guys that have been doing it for a while say something, do it. I was also told to keep notes and now that season is over I can look at the notes and sat photo's and understand why things worked out the way they did. Just my .02.

Here is some information I pass along to the kids I talk to in Hunter Ed Classes or Seminars I do with the Pa. Trappers Assn. I'm asked a lot about picking locations for fox and coyotes. There is as much or more to be learned about picking locations here in Pa. in the month of March than any other time of the year. In March we get a lot of 2 or 3 inch snows that only last a few days. When you find tracks this time of the year you can bet they are fairly fresh and the wet snow takes tracks that are more easily identified that those in dryer snow. Next, most of the dispersals are over for the year and the hunting and trapping seasons are closed ( coyotes can be hunted all year long) so most of the critters you find at this time will be here next season. Not much going on in March so you have time to get out and do some homework. Go to the properties you have permission to trap. Stop and chat a little with the owners, ask where they have been seeing critters since season end. A small chat once in a while does wonders for owner/trapper relations. Find some tracks that are crossing the property. Follow the tracks from border to border of the property. Look at where the tracks enter the property, what land marks they head toward, where they stop to check things out, where they pee, and where they leave the property. Do this for all the properties you have permissions. If you do this for 4 or 5 properties you will soon see what the guys above are talking about as far as crop changes, drainage ditches, field edges, intersections, field elevations and natural travel routes. It won't be long that you will be able to pull into a new property, head toward similar features and know there will be sign there before you even leave the truck. Even if the critter you are tracking gets hit with a truck before next season the others that follow will travel the same routes. The last thing isn't always the most popular with some of the kids and a lot of adults. I tell them that the only short cut to becoming a good trapper is spending a lot of boot leather. If they aren't willing to put some effort into educating themselves they may as well stay home with their game controllers. These computer forums are great but unless they are going to go in the field and put this knowledge to use, practice it, play with it, and improve on it, it isn't going to help much. What did the old trapper say to the kid 'the only thing I know for sure is those traps ain't going to catch much in the back of the truck sonny'.